Switch-movement.



B. G. WEBSTER. SWITCH MOVEMENT. APPLICATION nun PEB.17, 1914.

l, 1 22,828. Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1. 48 Q95 46 ATTORNEY B. G. WEBSTER.

SWITCH MOVEMENT. APPLICATION FILED 11:13.17, 1914.

1 1 22, 2 Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

2 SHBETSSHEBT 2. 5s

A TTORNEY snares Parana enrich.

BENJAMIN C. WEBSTER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 HARVEYHUIBIBELL, INCORPORATED, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OFCONNECTICUT.

SWITCH-MOVEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 11914.

Application filed February 17, 1914. Serial No 819,142.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it knownthat I, BENJAMIN C. VVEB- s'rnn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residingat Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State ofConnecticut, have invented an Improvement in Switch-Movements, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and IIIQKPBHSIVQreversible switch movement, of large current carrying capacity, whichwill occupy but little this specification and using reference charactersto indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation showing mynovel switch mechanism as applied to a key socket; Fig. 2 a plan'view ofthe lower insulating block and the parts carried thereby; Fig. 3 anelevation of the contact member detached; Figfa a view of said member asseen from the right in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 an elevation of the switchmechanism detached corresponding with Fig. 1 with the exception that thecontact member shown in section on the line in Fig. at; Fig. 6 anelevation of a portion of the shaft and a cam carried thereby; Fig. 7 acorresponding view as seen from the right in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 aperspective of the carrying bracketdetached; Fig. 9 a view correspondingwith Fig. 5 showing the position of the parts at the instant before thesnap movement; Fig. 10 a similar view showing a position of the partsduring the snap movement; Fig. 11- a detail sectional view on the lineindicated by 11 in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig.12 a view partly in elevation and partly in section showing theapplication of the invention to a snap switch; Fig. 13 a perspectiveillustrating a form of contact member especially adapted for snapswitches, and Fig. 14 is a perspective of a form of carrying bracketespecially adapted for snap switches.

In the form illustratedin Figs. 1 to 11 inclusive. which shows theinvention as applied to. a; kevsricketQQderiotes theu'pper insulatingblock and 21 the lower insulating blockby which the operative parts arecarried, said blocks being provided with re-.

cesses which receive the parts, leaving them wholly inclosed. 22 denotesthe carrying bracket which is. secured to the lower insulating block bya screw 23 and in which the shaft 24 is mounted to'rotate. 25 denotes acam which is carried by the shaft and is provided with high points 26diametrically opposite to each other and with low points 27diametrically opposite to each other and mid-way between the highpoints, leaving inclines 41 between the respective high points and lowpoints. The shaft is shown as provided with flat sides and the cam isprovided with a correspondingly shaped opening which receives the shaftleaving the cam free to slide longitudinally on the shaft, but retainingit against rotary movement independently of the shaft. 28 denotes thecontact member as a whole which has both rotary and longitudinalmovement on the shaft and independently of the shaft. 30 denotes adetent member lying on the opposite side of one of the. arms of thecarrying bracket from the contact member. The detent member comprises aplate 31 having a hole through which the shaft passes freely permittingthe detent member to tilt thereon. (as will be more fully explained) anda detent arm which extends at right angles from the plate and passesfreely through an opening 33 in the carrying bracket. A relatively lightspring 34, hearing against the plate of the detent member and a washer35, acts to retain the detent member in its normal position. The contactmember comprises a disk 29 which is provided with four equidistantrecesses 36, either of which is adapted to receive arm of the detentmember. At the center of disk 2.) the metal is punched outward to forminclines 10 corresponding with the inclines of the cam and leaving twohigh pointsyindicated by 37, which are wholly disconnected from the diskand two low points, indicated by 38, where the metal is left connectedto the plate by attachments 39. The high points and the low points ofthe contact member and the cam are adapted to interlock in their normalor inoperative position, as in Fig. 5, and in operation the high pointsof the cam force the contact member longitudinally on the shaft to causeits release by the detent member, as in Fig. 9. A relatively strongoperating spring 42 acts to force the inclines of the contact memberagainst the inclines of the. cam and to force the cam against thebracket. l/Vashers 43 are shown as interposed betweenthe ends of thespring and an arm of the bracket and the contact member respectively.The arm of the bracket to which the cam is contiguous is provided withlooking grooves 44 at right angles to each other, either-of which isadapted to be engaged by the low points of the cam, as in Fig. 5, owingto the longitudinal movement of the cam on the shaft. The contact memheris provided with contact arms 45 extending at right angles th'eretowhich are adapted to engage spring contacts 46 and 47.

(as in Fig. 52) leaving the contact arms in a mid-position between thespring contacts, thus breaking the circuit. The next actuation againplaces the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2. Starting with theparts in the position shown in Fig. 5, rotation of the shaft in eitherdirection will cause the cam to move the contact member longitudinallyon the shaft against the power of theoperating spring, as in Fig. 9,until when slightly beyond the position shown in Fig. 9 the contactmember will have been moved by the cam far enough toward the left todisengage the contact member from the detent arm. The relatively strongoperating spring will then act instantly to force the contact membertoward the right, as in Fig. 10, the inclines of the contact memberriding down the inclines of the cam.

An instant later the parts will again be in the position shown in Fig.5. While the parts are in the intermediate position, as in Fig.'10',detent arm 32 will be in engagement with the face of disk 29 of thecontact member between two of the recesses 36, consequently the detentmember will be tilted slightly against the'power of spring 34, as inFig. 10. An instant later, however, the detent arm will be in alinementwith one of the recesses 36 in the disk'and the parts will at onceassume the position shown in Fig. 5,

' it-being understood of course that the cam is looked in either thecircuit closing or open circuit position through the' engagement of thelow points of the cam with one of the grooves 44 in an arm of thecarrying bracket, and that the contact member is locked in either ofthese positions by the detent arm which is never out 'of engagement withthe carrying bracket.

1n the form illustrated in Figs. 12, 13 and 14, in which theinvention isshown as applied to a snap switch, there is but one insulating block,which is indicated by 53, and the operative parts of the switch arecovered by a cap 54. The shaft, cam, detent member, detent member springand operating spring are indicated by 24, 25, 30, 34 and 42respectively, as before. The shaft is mounted to rotate in a bracket 55which is provided in its face with grooves 4-1 at right angles to eachother, as before, and with two openings 33,

,either of which may receive the detent arm.

The two openings are provided merely in order to make the bracketreversible. The contact member in this form is indicated as a whole by56. Plate 57 corresponds with disk 29 in the other form and is providedwith openings 58 to receive the detent arm. This plate is insulated fromthe contact arms (30, as at 59, and the contact arms are connected by across piece 61 having a clearance opening (32 for the shaft andoperating spring. The inclines 40 upon the contact member are providedwith high points and low points, the same as before, which it is notthought necessary to illustrate in detail. as the structures areidentical with the exceptions noted above. The operation is preciselythe same as before. The binding screws, indicated by 63, are eachelectrically connected with. a spring contact 64, said spring contactbeing engaged by the contact member to close the circuit which is brokenby imparting a quarter turn to the contact member.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A mechanism of thecharacter described comprising a shaft, a contact member having bothrotary and longitudinal movement ber cooperating with the cam and havingboth rotary and longitudinal movement independently of the shaft andprovidw with rotation of the shaft and cam.

a A mechanism of the character described comprising a shaft, a contactmember having both rotary and longitudinal-movement independently of theshaft and provided with inclines,'a cam carried by the shaft and havingmchnes cooperating w th the inclines on the contact member, and a detentmemher havin an" arm with which the contact member is normally inengagement, the contact member being moved out of engagement with saidarm by rotation of the shaft and cam.

4. A mechanism of the character described comprising a shaft, a contactmember having both rotary and longitudinal movement independently of]the shaft and provided with inclines, a cam carried by the shaft andhaving inclines coiiperating with the inclines on the contact member, adetent member with which the contact member is nor-- mally inengagement, the contact member being moved out of engagement with thedetent member by rotation of the shaft and cam, andsprings actingagainst the detent member and the contact member respectively. 7

A mechanism of the character described comprising a shaft, a contactmember having both rotary and longitudinal movement independently of theshaft and provided with inclines, a cam carried by, the shaft and havinginclines cooperating with the inclines onthe contact member, a detentmember with which the, contact member is normallyvin engagement, thecontact member being moved out of engagement with i the detent member byrotation of the shaft points and inclines between said points, a

contact member cooperating with the cam and having rotary andlongitudinal movement independently of the shaft and provided withcorresponding high and low pointsand inclines, a detent member withwhich the contact member is normally in engagement and springs actingagainst the detent member and the contact member, the high points of thecam acting against the contact member -to move it longitudinally on theshaft, the contact member and cam interlocking when the former isreleased by the detent member and the low points of the cam engaging oneof the grooves in the bracket after each actuation.

- 7. A mechanism of the character described comprising a shaft, acontact mem- .ber having both rotary and longitudinal movementindependently of the shaft and provided with inclines, a cam carried bythe shaft and having inclines cooperating with the inclines on thecontact member, a detent member with which the contact member isnormally in engagement, the contact member being moved out of engagementwith the detent member by rotation of the shaft and cam, springs actingagainst the conta ct member and the detent member and means for lockingsaid'parts after each actuation.

8. A mechanism of the character described comprising a shaft, a brackettherefor having an opening, a cam carried by the shaft and having highpoints and low points and inclines between said points, a contact memberhaving rotary and longitudinal movement independently of the shaft andprovided with corresponding high and low points and inclines, a detentmember having an arm passing through the bracket for engagement by thecontact member and springs acting against said members respectively.

9. A mechanism of the character described comprising a shaft, a brackettherefor having locking grooves and an opening, a cam carried by theshaft and having high points and low points and inclines between saidpoints, a contact member having rotary and longitudinal movementindependently of the shaft and provided with corresponding high points,low points and inclines, a detent member having an arm passing throughthe bracket for engagement by the contact member, a spring actingagainst the detent member and a relatively strong spring acting againstthe contact member to hold said mem-er interlocked withthe cam and thecam in' engagement with one of th locking grooves in the bracket.

10. A mechanism of the character described comprising a shaft, a camcarried thereby and provided with high and low points and inclines, adetent member having a detent arm, a contact member having rotary andlongitudinal movement independently of the shaft, said member comprisinga disk having equidistant recesses adapted to be engaged by the detentarm and inclines corresponding with the cam, and

, means for normally retaining the contact member interlocked with thecam and in engagement with the detent arm.

11. A mechanism of the character de scribed, comprising a shaft, acontact member having both rotary and longitudinai movement thereon andprovided "with opposed inclines, a cam carried by the shaft and'providedwith similar cooperating inchnes and detent means with which the contactmember is normally held in engagement.

12. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with ashaft and a cam carried thereby, and having high and low points andinclines between said points, of a contact member having rotary andlongitndinal movement independently of the shaft and high and low pointsand inclines corresponding with the cam, a detent member and means fornormally retaining the contact member interlocked with the cam and inengagement with the detent member.

13. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with ashaft and a cam carried thereby, of a contact member corresponding withthe cam and having equidistant recesses, a detent-member having an armadapted to engage either of said recesses and springs acting against thecontact member and the detent member respectively.

' 14. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with ashaft and a cam carried thereby and having high and low points andinclines between said points, of a contact member having high and lowpoints and inclines corresponding witlrthe cam and equidistant recesses,a detent mem-v ber adapted to engage either of said recesses and springsacting against the-contact member and the detent member respectively.

15. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with ashaft and a cam carried thereby and having high and low points andinclines between said points, and a bracket by which the shaft iscarried and which is provided with looking grooves, of a contact membercorresponding with the'cani and having equidistant recesses, a, detentmember adapted to engage either of said recesses, a spring actingagainst the de tent member and a relatively strong spring acting againstthe contact member to normally retain said member interlocked with thecam and in engagement with the detent member and to retain a low pointof the in engagement with the locking recess in the bracket.

Intestimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN C. WEBSTER Witnesses:

FREDERICK D. BAKER, H. MEADE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for in cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0.

